Tim Tebow still has hope that he can play football this season, and it could be with the New England Patriots, even though they cut him this weekend, or perhaps another NFL team, or possibly in the Canadian Football League.

The former college star turned NFL bust, at least as a quarterback, can take solace in that Patriots Coach Bill Belichick would not rule out the possibility of a return to New England when he addressed reporters Monday in his first comments since releasing Tebow, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound left-hander who completed 11 of 30 passes for 145 yards in three exhibition games, with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

“I don't know what's going to happen here in the year, but certainly we've had a lot of players who've left here and come back here,” Belichick said. “It's already happened this year.”

Belichick said the Patriots released Tebow in the best interests of the team, which usually only carries two quarterbacks on its roster. All-Pro Tom Brady is the starter and former Arkansas star Ryan Mallett has been his backup for three seasons.

"There's a million things that go into a personnel decision,” Belichick said.

Los Angeles-based quarterback guru Steve Clarkson believes Tebow would be best suited to playing in the CFL, where dual-threat quarterbacks are often successful because of a larger field and a more wide-open game.

"It's time now to maybe just reconsider a different path to his ultimate dream," Clarkson told USA Today. "Tim might want to look to the CFL because he may have run out of options in the NFL. Sitting is not an option for Tim. He's ultra-competitive. He needs to stick to his strength, which is being in a competitive environment.

"Anyone who wants to work on their craft the way Tim does, he just needs to give himself a couple of days and really decide, 'Is this what I want to do?' Clearly, football is still in his blood."

Tebow also has the option of hoping another NFL team inquires about his services. But that seems like a long shot now after short runs in Denver and New York with the Broncos and Jets, although some teams reportedly inquired about his services before this season as a fullback or tight end.

But Tebow has maintained all along that he's a quarterback and wants to play that position as a pro.